Electronic Receipt System Weight Calculation for Baggage Limits

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electronic receipt systems do not allow customers to easily check if the total weight of their purchased merchandise exceeds the baggage weight limit set by airplane guidelines, leading to unexpected issues during boarding, such as excess fees or baggage restrictions.

Innovation Solution

An information processing apparatus and electronic receipt system that includes a mobile terminal, a POS device, and an electronic receipt center, which generates and displays the weight of purchased merchandise, enabling customers to check if their baggage is within the weight limits before boarding by providing a screen display of the total weight and allowing adjustments to be made.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If customers purchase a large amount of merchandise overseas, then they can bring back more souvenirs and gifts, but they may exceed the baggage weight limit and incur excess fees or face boarding restrictions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveamount of purchased merchandiseVSAvoidexcess fees and baggage restrictions

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary weight calculation and notification before the customer boards the airplane. The information processing apparatus calculates the total weight of purchased merchandise based on receipt data and notifies the customer in advance if it exceeds the baggage weight limit, allowing the customer to take corrective actions such as shipping items home or purchasing additional tickets before boarding.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides feedback to the customer about the total weight of their purchased merchandise and whether it exceeds the baggage weight limit. The notification device delivers this information to the customer's terminal device, enabling the customer to make informed decisions about their baggage arrangement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If customers do not check the weight of their baggage, then they can proceed with boarding without additional costs, but they risk discovering weight issues only at the boarding gate leading to unexpected fees

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveboarding procedure convenienceVSAvoidbaggage weight information

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system automatically calculates the total weight of purchased merchandise using receipt data and provides the weight information to the customer without requiring the customer to manually weigh their baggage. The notification device automatically delivers the weight information and excess fee notification to the customer's terminal device.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Device complexity

If the electronic receipt system only stores purchase information without weight data, then the system remains simple, but customers cannot check if their baggage meets weight limits

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveelectronic receipt system complexityVSAvoidbaggage weight information

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The electronic receipt system is enhanced to serve multiple functions: it not only stores purchase information but also calculates total weight of purchased merchandise and provides baggage weight limit compliance information. The information processing apparatus uses the existing receipt data to perform weight calculations and issue notifications, making the system multi-functional without requiring a completely new system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS11461756B2Information processing apparatus, information processing method, non-transitory computer readable medium storing program, electronic receipt system, and terminal device

Publication Date: 2022.10.04 STEERETAIL CO LTD

AI summary

An information processing system includes hardware, including a processor and a memory, an information processing apparatus and a terminal device. The information processing apparatus includes a receiving unit, a storing unit and a controlling unit. The receiving unit is implemented at least by the hardware and that receives, from a store terminal, information on merchandise purchased by a customer. The storing unit is implemented at least by the hardware and that stores at least one of a weight and a volume of the merchandise associated with the customer. The controlling unit is implemented at least by the hardware and that causes information including at least one of the weight and the volume of the merchandise purchased by the customer to be output as output information in response to a request from the external device. The terminal device requests the output information.